The Minnesota Wild’s common season is true across the nook, and with that comes predictions, expectations, and a listing of questions. As coaching camp continues, the primary matter on everybody’s thoughts is who will make the ultimate roster with so few spots open. In fact, the discussions additionally embody goaltending, line mixtures, and particular groups.
On this article, we’ll study among the questions the Wild will face firstly of the season. These will vary from goaltending to consistency to all the pieces in between. First up can be goaltending as a result of that’s simply the most important query and one thing mentioned in almost each article concerning the season.
1: Are the Wild Going to Use Three Goaltenders?
Merely put, sure, they’re, however only for the start of the season. They need to give Marc-André Fleury, Filip Gustavsson, and Jesper Wallstedt an opportunity to indicate what they will do. Whereas Fleury and Gustavsson will doubtless be the primary two goaltenders all through the season, that doesn’t imply Wallstedt hasn’t earned an opportunity.
Nevertheless, the most important drawback with three goaltenders is the Wild’s present cap house, which may be very small at $756,410, in line with PuckPedia. At present, that’s not sufficient to convey up anybody in case of harm, which is able to change as soon as the common season begins, however not with out assist by sending somebody like Wallstedt again to the Iowa Wild within the American Hockey League.
Additionally, as head coach John Hynes identified on the primary day of coaching camp, they need Wallstedt to be enjoying, whether or not within the NHL or AHL. He must play video games, and no matter scenario is finest at the moment can be the place he lands. He’s a younger goaltender who remains to be gaining expertise, so being within the AHL won’t be detrimental to him. Hynes additionally used the phrase “fluid” to explain their goaltending, which is one of the best ways to explain it as a result of it’s at all times altering.
2: Will Ryan Hartman Hold His Mood in Test?
Everybody who’s seen Ryan Hartman play is aware of his sport has a bit of fireside to it, and he runs fairly scorching, however that’s what makes him exhausting to play in opposition to. The issue is when he lets it boil over and results in the penalty field or worse, because it did on the finish of final season, when he needed to watch from the sidelines resulting from a suspension.
Nevertheless, Hartman has proved he can hold himself in examine and nonetheless play a tough sport, so when Hynes was requested what he expects of Hartman this season, his “play good” reply wasn’t a shock. So sure, Hartman ought to be capable to hold his mood in examine, however the greater query is, will he? Hopefully, he’s discovered from final season and can use his abilities with out ending up within the penalty field. The group wants his uncooked model and power, however he wants to have the ability to hold it in examine.
Hynes is aware of Hartman’s model of play and made it clear he doesn’t need him to cease being that participant, however he desires him to concentrate on protecting that facet of his sport in examine. If there’s an occasion that may’t be averted, that’s high-quality, but when it’s in any respect avoidable, it must be. Each participant can enhance their sport one way or the other, which is what Hartman must concentrate on this season.
3: Can the Group Discover Consistency?
That is an space the Wild have at all times struggled with almost each season. They’ll get on a scorching streak the place they do all the pieces proper however can’t hold it going. No matter who or what’s in charge, whether or not it’s teaching, gamers, schedule, accidents, and so forth., the group should discover a technique to pull it collectively and keep constant. The brief reply as soon as once more is sure; they are often constant; the exhausting half is discovering out how to do this evening in and evening out when all the pieces adjustments.
Once they discover one thing that works, they have to hold doing it, and when it stops working, they have to adapt. They’ve struggled with this prior to now as a result of generally the teaching workers was reluctant to vary and simply wished to push by means of till it began to work once more. Hynes is just not that sort of coach in most conditions. It looks like if one thing isn’t working, he both figures out the issue or adjustments it to attempt one thing new.
The Wild have had some nice coaches through the years with completely different approaches to the sport, however Hynes appears to have one thing the others didn’t: adaptability. He’ll make adjustments and adapt to his environment to make issues work. Some might argue he had loads of time to do this final season when he took over in November, and so they nonetheless struggled, however it’s additionally essential to level out he was nonetheless in his first season with the group, and that takes time.
Associated: Minnesota Wild Coaching Camp Day 1 Reflections
He tried to make adjustments and exhausted a few of them, and that’s when it was time for the group to step up and make the mandatory adjustments to win. It’s essential to acknowledge that he tried as a result of generally, it doesn’t matter what is finished, the group simply can’t discover a groove, and so they should tough it out till they discover their method once more. He’s now skilled in each conditions and can doubtless have a a lot better deal with on issues when this common season will get underway.
Wild’s Remaining Ideas
There are nonetheless many questions on the Wild’s record which have but to be answered, however because the season approaches, these solutions will develop into clear. The very first thing that involves thoughts is the lineup mixtures. We’ve seen glimpses of what it’s going to appear to be in coaching camp, however Hynes can also be not afraid to combine issues up.
Then there’s the query of if sure gamers will step up and lead if gamers can keep away from harm, and so forth and so forth. Whereas we don’t have all of the solutions but, what we’ve seen in these first few days of coaching camp, the group has promise.
